Fashola wants Nigeria to host tournament
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Loading ...Federal Minister of Power, Works and Housing Babatunde Raji Fashola wants Nigeria to bid as host for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Fashola who served as Governor of Lagos State from 2007-2015 is known to be a football aficionado.
Now a minister Fashola stated that Nigeria has the capacity to host the World and that the country will deliver a tournament to remember if named as hosts.
playFederal Minister Fashola believes Nigeria can host the 2026 FIFA World Cup (Pulse)Fashola also stated that Nigeria should join fellow African bidders Morocco to jointly co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament.
He said, “Morocco are bidding to host the 2026 World Cup, Nigeria should have jointly bid with Morocco because we can do it,”
Fashola stated that Nigeria hosting the world alone may be too much or the country to bear and that jointly hosted will ease off the pressure as it is now a 48 team tournament.
He said, “With the expanded format of the World Cup, it will now be too expensive for one country to host it.”
playFashola was governor of Lagos State when Nigeria hosted the FIFA U-17 World Cup. (Guardian)
Nigeria has previously hosted FIFA tournaments before, the country hosted the FIFA Under 20 World Cup in 1999 and FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2009 while Fashola was in office as governor.
The minister stated that Nigeria can channel the experience of these past tournaments into hosting a successful world cup.
He said, “Like we did when we hosted the 2009 FIFA U17 World Cup when the gauntlet is thrown at us, we will rise to the occasion.”
“The indomitable, undying spirit of the Nigerian will come to the fore when we have a deadline to meet. We will clean up our house to welcome visitors from around the world.”
playNFF President Amaju Pinnick told FIFA President Gianni Infantino that Nigeria can host any FIFA event (NFF)The 2026 World Cup will have 16 more teams more than the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
USA, Mexico, and Canada have already submitted bids for the hosting rights for 2026 while Morocco wants to be the second African country to host a FIFA World Cup at senior level after South Africa hosted in 2010.
The minister’s call for Nigeria to host the World Cup comes after President of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) Amaju Pinnick stated to FIFA President Gianni Infantino that Nigeria is ready to host any FIFA tournament or event.
The successfully accepted bid for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be announced on Wednesday, June 13.
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Source: Pulse
